TheNews Pakistan: The rapid climate change and increasing global warming are the major reasons of early onset of monsoon rains in the country, Chief Meteorologist Ghulam Rasool said on Wednesday. Talking to APP, he said the diverse changes in weather patterns are causing early start of monsoon rains for the last one decade.
Usually, the monsoon season starts from first week of July and continues till mid-September, however, it is being observed for the last many years that the monsoon rains started before the average period and also ended earlier. The monsoon season started from June 16 in 2005 and June 26 in 2009, Similarly, the season started earlier than the forecast period this year, he said.
The monsoon winds get attracted when the temperature rises in southern Punjab and Sindh, heat centre areas, up to 50 degrees Celsius, especially in Sibi and Jaccobabad, and cause monsoon rains. About glacier melting, he said rapid glacier melting process in coming months of July and August and accumulation of monsoon rainwater can cause inundation in rivers. The melting process is likely to increase in the coming two months and when the water of two to three rivers will enter in the River Indus with peak flow, it can cause flood situation.
The glacier melting is being monitored regularly by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) and a glacier monitoring station has been established at an elevation of 4500 meter on the top of Passu and Batura glaciers.
The chief meteorologist said Met Office is in contact with the dam authorities and a plan has been devised to release monsoon rain and glacier melting water separately to overcome the chances of inundation in rivers. According to latest reports of the monitoring station, he said the depth of Ataabad lake has increased up to 400 feet and many villages in its surroundings has been inundated while the area is being evacuated due to an increasing water level.
He said the process of melting is 10 percent higher in comparison with the last year due to constant rise in temperature in Gilgit during the last one week. However, it is likely to further rise in coming days because the temperature increases in those areas when monsoon rains occur in different parts of the country. The Met Office radars are also monitoring the water flow in Ravi and Chenab vigilantly. “We are also in contact with the Indian authorities for release of water in these rivers during this monsoon period.”
About the monsoon rains, he said monsoon rains are likely to continue in upper parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and across the Punjab during next three days. Most of the areas are likely to receive 25 to 50 mm rainfall during this first spell of the monsoon rains.
The first monsoon rain in Sindh is likely on Thursday/Friday and there are also chances of thundershower/rain in Balochistan in the coming days, he said. About the impact of monsoon rains on crops, Ghulam Rasool said the monsoon rains will cast a positive impact on rice crop while the date crop in Sindh is likely to get affected. The farmers are advised to take precautionary measures to save the crop from harmful affects of monsoon rains, he said. Source>>
